Bahrainhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/bahrain
en-usWed, 13 Dec 2017 21:30:55 -0500Wed, 13 Dec 2017 21:30:55 -0500The latest news on Bahrain from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-live-world-cities-expats-living-abroad-2017-1127 cities around the world where expats are happy, rents are affordable, and jobs are plentifulhttp://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-live-world-cities-expats-living-abroad-2017-11
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 07:24:00 -0500Elena Holodny
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5a0a29f03dbef471018b5c31-1632/566685629db0f2becdbo.jpg" alt="Madrid, Spain" data-mce-source="Flickr/ajgelado" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajgelado/566685629/" /></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>InterNations recently released its <a href="https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2017/the-best-and-worst-cities-for-expats-39279" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2017 list</a> of the best cities for living and working abroad. </strong></li>
<li><strong>City rankings are based on survey responses from n</strong><strong>early 8,000 people in 40 countries.</strong></li>
<li><strong>For each city, we also compiled cost-of-living estimates from <a href="https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numbeo's database</a>. </strong></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><br />If you're thinking about living abroad, the best people to ask for tips might be the people who have already done it: expats.</p>
<p>InterNations, an expatriate network and global guide, <a href="https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">put together a list</a> of the best cities for living and working abroad, according to expats they surveyed.</p>
<p>To compile the data, InterNations surveyed 7,985 expats living in 40 countries. A city had to be mentioned at least 45 times to be included. City rankings were determined based on the quality and cost of urban living, quality of work life and finances, and ease of settling into the city.</p>
<p>We also noted the cost of necessities (and beer) there, based on figures from <a href="https://www.numbeo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numbeo</a>. All amounts are in US dollars and are current as of November.</p>
<p>Here are the best overall cities for expats in 2017.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-affordable-countries-living-abroad-expats-2017-9/" >The 30 countries that are best for your money, according to expats</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-cities-millennials-jobs-affordable-2017-9/" >10 places in the US where young people are happy, rents are affordable, and jobs are plentiful</a></strong></p>
<h3>27. Stockholm, Sweden</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5a09e79c35876e8c008b5a4e-400-300/27-stockholm-sweden.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Cost of living compared with New York City:</strong> 12.8% lower</p>
<p><strong>Monthly:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Rent:</strong> $1,406.43 for a one-bedroom in the city center</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Utilities:</strong> $74.58</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Commuter pass:</strong> $98.96</p>
<p><strong>Cappuccino:</strong> $4.33</p>
<p><strong>Domestic beer:</strong> $7.15</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>26. Cape Town, South Africa</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5a09db8e35876e01018b59e0-400-300/26-cape-town-south-africa.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Cost of living compared with New York City:</strong> 59.1% lower</p>
<p><strong>Monthly:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Rent:</strong> $716.30 for a one-bedroom in the city center</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Utilities:</strong> $58.33</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Commuter pass:</strong> $24.20</p>
<p><strong>Cappuccino:</strong> $1.62</p>
<p><strong>Domestic beer:</strong> $2.07</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>25. Kampala, Uganda</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5a09dac93dbef4db018b59d7-400-300/25-kampala-uganda.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><strong>Cost of living compared with New York City:</strong> 65.4%</p>
<p><strong>Monthly:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Rent:</strong> $234.87 for a one-bedroom in the city center</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Utilities:</strong> $51.57</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Commuter pass:</strong> $29.90</p>
<p><strong>Cappuccino:</strong> $2.10</p>
<p><strong>Domestic beer:</strong> $1.10</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-live-world-cities-expats-living-abroad-2017-11#/#24-munich-germany-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/us-suspends-military-drills-with-gulf-allies-2017-10US suspends military drills with Gulf Arab allies to pressure solution to Qatar crisishttp://www.businessinsider.com/us-suspends-military-drills-with-gulf-allies-2017-10
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 08:47:03 -0400Jon Gambrell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/59d77499351ccfe5398b47a5-633/qatar-waives-visas-for-80-nationalities-amid-gulf-boycott-2017-8.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha, Qatar June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha" /></p><p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) &mdash; The U.S. military has halted some exercises with its Gulf Arab allies over the ongoing diplomatic crisis targeting Qatar, trying to use its influence to end the monthslong dispute, authorities told The Associated Press on Friday.</p>
<p>While offering few details, the acknowledgement by the U.S. military's Central Command shows the concern it has over the conflict gripping the Gulf, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and crucial bases for its campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, as well as the war in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The Qatar crisis began June 5, when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched an economic boycott while closing off the energy-rich nation's land border and its air and sea routes. The quartet of Arab nations pointed to Qatar's alleged support of extremists and overly warm ties to Iran. Qatar long has denied supporting extremists and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran that makes its citizens have the highest per-capita income in the world.</p>
<p>Initially, U.S. military officials said the boycott and dispute had no impact on their operations. Qatar is home to the massive al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of Central Command which oversees the U.S.-led coalition's bombing campaign of the Islamic State group and manages a direct line to Russia to manage Syria's crowded skies.</p>
<p>But as the dispute went on, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to Doha to offer his support. The Trump administration also agreed to an in-the-works sale of F-15 fighter jets to Qatar for $12 billion.</p>
<p>Responding to queries from the AP, Air Force Col. John Thomas, a Central Command spokesman, acknowledged it would be cutting back on the exercises.</p>
<p>"We are opting out of some military exercises out of respect for the concept of inclusiveness and shared regional interests," Thomas said in a statement. "We will continue to encourage all partners to work together toward the sort of common solutions that enable security and stability in the region."</p>
<p>Officials in Qatar did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the boycotting nations have not acknowledged the disruption in military exercises with the U.S.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/59d77631351ccf83028b8f3e-1924/ap17112676427254.jpg" alt="Mattis in Qatar" data-mce-source="Jonathan Ernst/AP" data-mce-caption="U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (center) meets Qatar's Minister of Defense Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah (right) in April 2017." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Qatar-US/35a3999fdcf846ab9154c7a11d178e9d/9/0" />The Qatar diplomatic crisis has torn apart the typically clubby Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional Arab bloc created in part as a counterbalance to Iran. The U.S. military holds exercises in part to build the confidence of local forces, many of which use American-made equipment.</p>
<p>Among the exercises likely to be affected is Eagle Resolve, an annual exercise held since 1999 that has GCC countries send forces alongside Americans to simulate working as a multinational force in battle. This year's Eagle Resolve exercise, held in Kuwait in March, involved 1,000 U.S. troops.</p>
<p>U.S. and Gulf allies also have regularly held joint, smaller-scale exercises in the region.</p>
<p>The American military's decision comes after an influential Republican senator said in June he'd withhold approval of U.S. weapons sales to several Middle Eastern allies. Those moves together signal to Gulf countries that American officials want the crisis resolved sooner than later, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.</p>
<p>"U.S. officials could be using a pressure point to express their frustration that what they see as a needless crisis and a distraction from far more urgent regional issues is going on so long," Ulrichsen told the AP. "It is likely an indication to longstanding security and defense partners that U.S. patience on this spat is not open-ended and is rapidly drawing to a close."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/moodys-qatar-gulf-outlook-2017-7" >Qatar's diplomatic crisis is sapping confidence in its state finances</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-suspends-military-drills-with-gulf-allies-2017-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-unveils-new-world-cup-2022-stadium-despite-domestic-disputes-arab-sanctions-fifa-2017-8">Qatar is spending $200 billion on the World Cup — here's a first look at its newest stadium</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/qatars-diplomatic-crisis-creating-issues-for-al-udeid-military-base-2017-9Qatar's diplomatic crisis is creating issues for one of the US's most important military baseshttp://www.businessinsider.com/qatars-diplomatic-crisis-creating-issues-for-al-udeid-military-base-2017-9
Thu, 14 Sep 2017 18:16:55 -0400Jon Gambrell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5981c774b50ab1f4018b561c-1856/rtsv17v.jpg" alt="Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar" data-mce-source="Reuters/Carl Court/Pool" data-mce-caption="Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar smiles as he speaks to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a bilateral meeting at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, in Manama, Bahrain." /></p><p></p>
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) &mdash; Qatar&rsquo;s emir is persona non grata to four U.S.-allied Arab states that accuse his wealthy Gulf nation of sponsoring extremists, but he recently received a warm welcome at the sprawling military base his troops share with thousands of American soldiers.</p>
<p>Qatar&rsquo;s al-Udeid Air Base, a crucial staging ground for U.S. operations in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, is one of several American military outposts across the Gulf that are intended to serve as a bulwark against Iran, but now put Washington in a delicate balancing act.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut all ties to Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting extremism and being soft on Iran. Some U.S. officials have defended Qatar, but are making little headway in mediating the crisis. With its hosts at each other&rsquo;s throats, the Pentagon has been placed in an awkward position.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re tracking all the Gulf nations&rsquo; disputes right now,&rdquo; said U.S. Air Force Col. John Thomas, a spokesman for the American military&rsquo;s Central Command. &ldquo;That doesn&rsquo;t lessen that they are good hosts.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The U.S. has deepened its military relationships across the region in the nearly two decades since it helped expel Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s forces from Kuwait.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/53974088eab8eab22a457b20-2000/aludeid.jpg" alt="al-udeid airbase" data-mce-source="AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File" /></p>
<p>The island nation of Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy&rsquo;s 5th Fleet. Kuwait, which has also sought to mediate the Qatar dispute, is home to 13,500 American troops and the forward command of U.S. Army Central. The UAE&rsquo;s massive Jebel Ali port in Dubai is the Navy&rsquo;s biggest port of call outside of the U.S., while American forces also fly out of al-Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi.</p>
<p>Some 10,000 American troops are stationed in Qatar, a small, energy-rich peninsular nation that sticks out like a thumb into the Persian Gulf. Most work out of the vast al-Udeid Air Base just south of the capital, Doha, which hosts the forward operating base of the U.S. military&rsquo;s Central Command. By comparison, experts estimate Qatar&rsquo;s own military strength at some 11,800 troops, one of the region&rsquo;s smallest forces.</p>
<p>For years, the U.S. military wouldn&rsquo;t even acknowledge the base&rsquo;s location out of security concerns, at most simply describing it as being in Asia. It houses the Combined Air Operations Center, which oversees the U.S.-led coalition&rsquo;s bombing campaign of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and manages a direct line to Russia to manage Syria&rsquo;s crowded skies.</p>
<p>Yet even before the Qatar crisis began on June 5, some in Washington questioned the U.S. military&rsquo;s reliance on a base in a country whose leadership has supported Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE and Saudi Arabia view the Brotherhood as a threat to their nations&rsquo; hereditary rulers. Egypt considers the group a terrorist organization.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/59527cd2d084cc351c8b5048-2048/3424108017335481bdc35k.jpg" alt="b-52 al udeid qatar operation inherent resolve" data-mce-source="US Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb" data-mce-caption="US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., arrived at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 9, 2016 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community, and as needed in the region." /></p>
<p>The diplomatic dispute began in part over that Islamist support, as well as Qatar&rsquo;s diplomatic relations with Iran and allegations it funds extremists. Qatar long has denied funding extremists, and its warm relations with Iran are nothing new &mdash; the two countries share a massive offshore natural gas field.</p>
<p>While U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted and made comments that can be seen as siding against Qatar, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has traveled to Doha to offer his support. The Trump administration also agreed to an in-the-works sale of F-15 fighter jets to Qatar for $12 billion.</p>
<p>However, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani&rsquo;s visit to the base on Sept. 11 added new tension. He posed with troops in front of warplanes, some American-made, and met with senior U.S. officials. One photograph at the base released by state media showed a stenciled poster of Sheikh Tamim, an image now seen across Doha as a sign of support for the ruler amid the boycott.</p>
<p>Sheikh Tamim and the Americans &ldquo;reviewed the joint Qatari-U.S. military defense cooperation, and the mutual cooperation between the two countries in combating terrorism,&rdquo; a statement about the visit on the state-run Qatar News Agency said.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was a visit. They talked about how things were going and there were some photo opportunities and they left,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;It was not particularly substantive.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/597256425124c9d53f8cce46-800/qatars-ruler-it-is-time-to-resolve-differences-through-talks.jpg" alt="Men stand near an artwork depicting Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani after it was unveiled by Qatar Airways in Doha, Qatar, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Men stand near an artwork depicting Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani after it was unveiled by Qatar Airways in Doha" /></p>
<p>U.S. bases routinely welcome leaders of their host countries, Thomas said. Asked about the Sheikh Tamim poster, he said it is normal for host nations to put up their own nationalistic banners on their side of bases.</p>
<p>The al-Udeid visit came just ahead of Sheikh Tamim&rsquo;s first trip abroad since the crisis began. The trip to Turkey and Germany provides a way for him to show his rule is secure. Sheikh Tamim&rsquo;s father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, launched a palace coup in 1995 while his own father was abroad.</p>
<p>The Pentagon has developed contingency plans for al-Udeid operations, but that&rsquo;s a normal part of war planning, Thomas said. He said the U.S. military regularly maintained relationships with host nations amid turbulent times, referencing tensions with Egypt in the years since its 2011 Arab Spring uprising.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got plans for everything. ... We&rsquo;ll do what we need to do to continue the fight,&rdquo; the colonel said. &ldquo;But right now, it&rsquo;s not in the realm of significant possibilities that we&rsquo;ll have to close or curtail anything.&rdquo;</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/record-levels-of-us-led-bombing-campaign-against-isis-in-august-2017-9" >The US-led bombing campaign against ISIS set a record in August</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatars-diplomatic-crisis-creating-issues-for-al-udeid-military-base-2017-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-unveils-new-world-cup-2022-stadium-despite-domestic-disputes-arab-sanctions-fifa-2017-8">Qatar is spending $200 billion on the World Cup — here's a first look at its newest stadium</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-qatar-faced-with-punitive-list-of-demands-by-arab-neighbors-2017-6Middle eastern countries have issued a steep list of demands for Qatarhttp://www.businessinsider.com/ap-qatar-faced-with-punitive-list-of-demands-by-arab-neighbors-2017-6
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 09:39:00 -0400Josh Lederman
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/594d1958d084cc163f8b4932-1280/ap17159626904342.jpg" alt="al jazeera doha qatar" data-mce-source="Associated Press/Malak Harb" data-mce-caption="In this Thursday, June 8, 2017 photo, Al-Jazeera staff work at their TV station in Doha, Qatar." /></p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a steep list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbor shutter Al-Jazeera, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.</p>
<p>In a 13-point list &mdash; presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis &mdash; the countries also demand an end to Turkey's military presence in Qatar. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.</p>
<div id="div-gpt-ad-1470255291270-0" data-google-query-id="CK6P5YCJ1NQCFUsKNwodZIQOsg"></div>
<p>Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism &mdash; an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed. Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands, which include paying an unspecified sum in compensation.</p>
<p>Qatari officials in Doha did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. But the list included conditions that the gas-rich nation had already insisted would never be met, including shutting down Al-Jazeera. Qatar's government has said it won't negotiate until Arab nations lift their blockade. The demands were also likely to elicit Qatari objections that its neighbors are trying to dictate its sovereign affairs by imposing such far-reaching requirements.</p>
<p>Only a day earlier, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had warned the demands must be "reasonable and actionable." The US issued that litmus test amid frustration at how long it was taking Saudi Arabia and others to formalize a list of demands, complicating US efforts to bring about a resolution to the worst Gulf diplomatic crisis in years.</p>
<p>According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalize citizens from the four countries and expel those currently in Qatar, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs.</p>
<p>They are also demanding that Qatar hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the US; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.</p>
<p>Qatar vehemently denies funding or supporting extremism. But the country acknowledges that it allows members of some extremist groups such as Hamas to reside in Qatar, arguing that fostering dialogue with those groups is key to resolving global conflicts.</p>
<div id="div-gpt-ad-1470255291270-1" data-google-query-id="CNuz5YCJ1NQCFZcfhwod7AYCvg"></div>
<p>Qatar's neighbors have also accused it of backing al-Qaida and the Islamic State group's ideology throughout the Middle East. Those umbrella groups also appear on the list of entities whose ties with Qatar must be extinguished, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the al-Qaida branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/594d19aba3630f1a008b4f1c-2000/ap17174454703614.jpg" alt="doha qatar" data-mce-source="Associated Press/Kamran Jebreili" data-mce-caption="In this May 14, 2010 file photo, a Qatari woman walks in front of the city skyline in Doha, Qatar." /></p>
<p>More broadly, the list demands that Qatar align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional club that has focused on countering the influence of Iran. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations have accused Qatar of inappropriately close ties to Iran, a Shiite-led country and Saudi Arabia's regional foe.</p>
<p>The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.</p>
<p>Cutting ties to Iran would prove incredibly difficult. Qatar shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran which supplies the small nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup its wealth.</p>
<p>Not only must Qatar shut down the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, the list says, but also all of its affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language sister network.</p>
<p>Supported by Qatar's government, Al-Jazeera is one of the most widely watched Arabic channels, but it has long drawn the ire of Mideast governments for airing alternative viewpoints. The network's critics say it advances Qatar's goals by promoting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that pose a populist threat to rulers in other Arab countries.</p>
<p>The list also demands that Qatar stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21 and Middle East Eye.</p>
<p>If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Hussain Al-Qatari in Kuwait, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Vivian Salama in Washington contributed to this report.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-appointee-richard-hohlt-is-still-a-lobbyist-earning-hundreds-of-thousands-from-saudi-arabia-2017-6" >One of Trump's newest appointees is still a lobbyist earning hundreds of thousands from Saudi Arabia</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-qatar-faced-with-punitive-list-of-demands-by-arab-neighbors-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-explains-tips-attacked-by-dog-2017-6">A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you're attacked by a dog</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-naval-drills-with-qatar-despite-trumps-condemnation-2017-6The US military doesn't seem to be on board with Trump's condemnation of Qatarhttp://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-naval-drills-with-qatar-despite-trumps-condemnation-2017-6
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 13:04:31 -0400Christopher Woody
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5922f54434911bf24b8b4ebb-1300/ap17142467002109.jpg" alt="Trump Orb" data-mce-source="Saudi Press Agency" data-mce-caption="Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Saudi King Salman, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump, visit a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." /></p><p></p>
<p>Days after President Donald Trump returned from first trip abroad, stopping in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Italy, the Saudis &mdash; along with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain &mdash; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/05/saudi-arabia-and-bahrain-break-diplomatic-ties-with-qatar-over-terrorism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cut ties</a> with Qatar, halting traffic on sea, air, and land and ordering Qatari citizens to leave the Gulf states within two weeks.</p>
<p>The move amounted to a significant fracture of the relative stability the Gulf had enjoyed in comparison to the turmoil embroiling the wider region and would be a hindrance on US-led efforts to deescalate tensions elsewhere in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Yet, days after the severing of ties, Trump appeared to throw the US's weight behind the Saudi-led bloc.</p>
<p><span> "Nations came together and spoke to me about confronting Qatar over its behaviors," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/politics/trump-qatar-saudi-gulf-crisis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump said</a> at the White House.</span></p>
<p><span>"We had a decision to make," he said of his discussions with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. "Do we take the easy road or do we finally take a hard but necessary action? We have to stop the funding of terrorism."</span></p>
<p><span>"I decided, along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, our great generals and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding. They have to end that funding and its extremist ideology," the president added. </span><span>"The nation of Qatar has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level."</span></p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/59232d1e639147970b8b56b7-2400/ap17141356440443.jpg" alt="trump saudi arabia" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Evan Vucci" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump shakes hands with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a meeting with leaders at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump will use the nation that is home to Islam's holiest site as a backdrop to call for Muslim unity in the fight against terrorism Sunday, as he works to build relationships with Arab leaders." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump-US-Saudi-Arabia/d1ab47fb3ce3486082ea6741074a75f9/109/0" /></p>
<p><span>Qatar is home to one of the US's largest foreign military bases, hosting 11,000 US troops at&nbsp;the Al Udeid air base, which is regional hub for air operations against ISIS. In the wake of Trump's comments, US military officials <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/politics/trump-qatar-saudi-gulf-crisis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told CNN</a> that there had been no immediate interruption to anti-ISIS efforts, but, they warned, their long-term planning ability was being affected.</span></p>
<p><span>As a sign of the gulf&nbsp;between Trump's seeming commitments and the military's orientation, the US and Qatari navies completed joint naval exercises off the latter country's East Coast last week. </span></p>
<p><span>Nine Qatari ships &mdash; including gun boats, coast guard, and supply ships &mdash; worked with four US ships to do air-defense and surface-missile simulation exercises, <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/joint-us-qatar-navy-exercise-wraps-up-117061601297_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to AFP.</span></p>
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/594a9bc34a24891b008b4607-2400/rtx1z7xy.jpg" alt="Qatar navy special forces boat" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon" data-mce-caption="Members of the Qatari naval forces in a navy boat during Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha, December 18, 2015." /></span></p>
<p><span>Qatari Staff Commander Mohammed Desmal Al-Kuwari told AFP that the US Navy asked to do the joint drills "a few weeks back" and that US and Qatari ships do such exercises several times a year.</span></p>
<p><span>"There are many allies asking for exercises within our waters," Al-Kuwari, who commanded the joint exercise with the US, said. "Many navies from our European allies are asking for exercises."</span></p>
<p><span>Operational exigencies likely made it so US commanders could not call off or reschedule the drills on short notice, even if they wanted to. </span></p>
<p><span>But other actions taken by the Trump administration suggest a broader lack of coherence when it comes to political and military relations with the Gulf states.</span></p>
<p><span>Less than a week after Trump boasted of his agreement with the Saudis and others to take action on what they saw as Qatar's ties to terrorism, the White House <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-sells-qatar-12-billion-arms-days-after-accusing-it-of-funding-terrorism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">signed off on</a> the sale of $21 billion in US weapons to Doha.</span></p>
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/594a98f9114ab61f008b45d5-840/dcufbkvxkaebvio.jpg" alt="Qatar ambassador James Mattis weapons deal" data-mce-source="https://twitter.com/Amb_AlThani/status/875111673253769222" data-mce-caption="Qatari officials with US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Washington DC, June 14, 2017." /></span></p>
<p><span>A deal for $12 billion of that total for 36 F-15 fighter jets was agreed upon in Washington that week &mdash; Qatar's ambassador to the US even tweeted a photo of Defense Secretary James Mattis signing the deal.</span></p>
<p><span>The US State Department doesn't seem to be on board with joining Saudi Arabia and others to isolate Qatar either.</span></p>
<p><span>Hours before Trump's remarks seemingly aligning him with the Saudi bloc, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/politics/trump-qatar-saudi-gulf-crisis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> the blockade of Qatar was hindering US military operations and that Doha had made some progress in ending support for terrorism.</span></p>
<p><span>Tillerson also <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/politics/trump-qatar-saudi-gulf-crisis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">asked</a> that "there be no further escalation by the parties in the region" and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-trump-tillerson.html?_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called for</a> "calm and thoughtful dialogue."</span></p>
<p><span>The State Department has also admonished Riyadh and other Persian Gulf states for cutting off Qatar.</span></p>
<p><span>"Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo has started, we are mystified that the gulf states have not released to the public nor to the Qataris the details about the claims they are making toward Qatar," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauret <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-trump-tillerson.html?_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said this week</a>.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/593f2fc05124c9f4493983b4-800/at-trumps-cabinet-meeting-flattery-is-flavor-of-the-day-2017-6.jpg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="U.S. President Trump talks with Secretary of State Tillerson during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the White House in Washington" /></span></p>
<p><span>"At this point we are left with one simple question," Nauret added. "Were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar's alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long simmering grievances" among countries in the region.</span></p>
<p><span>Tillerson, who has done over 20 calls and meetings focused on ending the dispute, wants "results," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-issues-unusual-public-warning-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae-over-qatar-rift/2017/06/20/66294a58-55e9-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">she said</a>. </span><span>Tillerson, she said, is telling those involved, "Let's finish this. Let's get this going."</span></p>
<p><span>The differences between Trump's and Tillerson's statements &mdash; and the State Department's struggles to resolve the situation &mdash; are no doubt <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/state-department-pentagon-personnel-shortage-2017-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">exacerbated by numerous vacancies in Foggy Bottom</a>. </span></p>
<p><span>When Trump departed for his trip in late May, seven of the nine senior jobs at the State Department were unfilled, and <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/international/334327-worries-mount-about-vacancies-in-trumps-state-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the vast majority</a> of about 200 jobs in the department requiring Senate confirmation had no occupants more than 100 days into Trump's term.</span></p>
<p><span>That lack of manpower, coupled with Trump's own idiosyncrasies, has diplomats from Europe and elsewhere <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39940158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trying to adapt quickly</a> to the new Washington.</span></p>
<p><span>"You have to make adjustments," Tom Malinowski, an assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39940158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told the BBC</a>. "And you just batten down the hatches and hope things change sooner rather than later."</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-national-security-council-pentagon-support-for-war-with-iran-2017-6" >Trump is assembling all the pieces he needs to go after Iran</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-naval-drills-with-qatar-despite-trumps-condemnation-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ross-perot-jr-rex-tillerson-donald-trump-putin-russia-2017-1">ROSS PEROT, JR: Why Rex Tillerson makes me optimistic about US-Russia relations</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-boycott-state-department-saudi-arabia-uae-2017-6'We are mystified': US State Department questions Saudi Arabia and UAE over Qatar boycotthttp://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-boycott-state-department-saudi-arabia-uae-2017-6
Tue, 20 Jun 2017 17:41:46 -0400Yara Bayoumy
<div dir="auto">
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5944e8955124c9495904ffe9-800/al-jazeera-says-its-arabic-channel-twitter-account-suspended-2017-6.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: The Al Jazeera Media Network logo is seen on its headquarters building in Doha, Qatar June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: Al Jazeera Media logo seen at HQ in Doha" />WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US State Department bluntly questioned on Tuesday the motives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their boycott of Doha, saying it was "mystified" the Gulf states had not released their grievances over<span> Qatar</span>.</p>
<p>In Washington's strongest language yet on the Gulf dispute, the State Department said the more time goes by, "the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE."</p>
<p>"At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns regarding<span> Qatar</span>'s alleged support for terrorism or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, referring to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.</p>
<p>The State Department's comments came in contrast to the language taken by US President Donald Trump who has accused<span> Qatar </span>of being a "high level" sponsor of terrorism.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and<span> Qatar </span>are key American allies. The fact the State Department bluntly questioned Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's actions in public suggests Washington was keen for the parties to end the dispute.</p>
<p>"We've just said to the parties involved: Let's finish this. Let's get this going," Nauert said.</p>
<p><span>Qatar </span>hosts a vital US military base, Al Udeid, to which more than 11,000 US and coalition forces are deployed or assigned and from which more than 100 aircraft operate.</p>
<p>The United Arab Emirates, which along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed the measures to isolate<span> Qatar</span>, has said the sanctions could last for years unless Doha accepted demands that the Arab powers plan to reveal in coming days.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/59414e595124c90b58f6d5c7-800/tillerson-calls-china-cooperation-on-north-korea-uneven-2017-6.jpg" alt="U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 13, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington" /></p>
<p>The State Department, headed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was encouraging "all sides to de-escalate tensions and engage in constructive dialogue," Nauert said.</p>
<p>A US official said Washington is urging<span> Qatar </span>to take steps to defuse the crisis, including signing on to proposals being drawn up the Treasury Department to strengthen controls against financing of militant groups.</p>
<p>But this official and a second US official said it was inaccurate to single<span> Qatar </span>out, and that the Saudis, Emiratis and other Gulf states face similar challenges in countering terrorist financing.</p>
<p><span>Qatar</span>'s foreign minister, who is expected to travel to Washington next week, said Doha would not negotiate with its neighbors to resolve the Gulf dispute unless they first lift the trade and travel boycott they imposed two weeks ago. He added that Doha still believed a solution was possible.</p>
<p>"Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo started, we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the public nor to the<span> Qatar</span>is the details about the claims that they are making toward<span> Qatar</span>," Nauert added.</p>
<p>There was no immediate comment from Riyadh or Abu Dhabi.</p>
<p><span>Qatar </span>has denied accusations by its neighbors that it funds terrorism, foments regional instability or has cozied up to their enemy Iran.</p>
<p>The first US official said the dispute is driven more by economic rivalries, historical tensions and the personal dynamics of Gulf leaders than by the specific demands the Saudis and Emiratis are making on<span> Qatar</span>.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/594970b95124c9780190941e-800/state-department-mystified-by-gulf-states-on-qatar-2017-6.jpg" alt="Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha, Qatar, June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha" /></p>
<p>The dispute has opened a rift among some of the main US allies in the Middle East. Since the dispute erupted, Trump has taken a tougher stance against<span> Qatar</span>, while the State Department had sought to remain neutral.</p>
<p>Nauert said Tillerson had three phone calls and two in-person meetings with the Saudi foreign minister. Tillerson also spoke by phone three times with<span> Qatar</span>'s foreign minister and with the<span>Qatar</span>i emir.</p>
<p>The UAE's ambassador to the United States said last week a list of demands for<span> Qatar </span>was being compiled and would soon be handed to the United States.</p>
<p>He said they would broadly address support for terrorism, meddling in the internal affairs of these countries and attacks through<span> Qatar</span>i-owned media platforms.</p>
<p>The Pentagon has said the boycott was hindering US ability to plan for long-term operations in the region. Al Udeid is where command for the anti-Islamic State air campaign takes place.</p>
<p>Meanwhile,<span> Qatar</span>'s attorney general said on Tuesday his country has evidence that the hacking of<span>Qatar</span>'s state news agency was linked to countries that have severed ties with Doha.</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Warren Strobel and David Alexander in Washington and Tom Finn in Doha; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and James Dalgleish)</p>
</div><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-russia-denies-reports-of-hacking-qatars-state-news-agency-2017-6" >Russia denies hacking Qatar's state news agency</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-boycott-state-department-saudi-arabia-uae-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-boeing-747-front-hump-2016-11">Here's why Boeing 747s have a giant hump in the front</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gulf-crisis-2017-6Why Trump should stand down for the crisis in the Gulfhttp://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gulf-crisis-2017-6
Tue, 13 Jun 2017 19:07:00 -0400Dov Zakheim
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5940473fc4adee20008b5c57-711/trump-to-resume-precision-munitions-deliveries-to-saudis-officials-2017-6.jpg" alt="Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump (L) react to applause after signing a joint security agreement at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Trump react to applause after signing a joint security agreement at the Royal Court in Riyadh"></p><p>The blogosphere has been flooded with suggestions regarding America’s role in mediating the intra-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) dispute between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump, in his <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/872062159789985792" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweets</a> and press conference, has clearly aligned himself with the three Gulf states, who have launched a blockade of their small neighbor, as has Egypt, which has taken a strong stand in their support.</p>
<p>Jordan has downgraded its relations with Qatar, at least four African nations have recalled their ambassadors from Doha, and Israel has openly sided with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the rest.</p>
<p>At the same time as Trump has made his position clear, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and the emir of Kuwait have both offered to mediate, with the Kuwaiti gaining more traction in that regard. In the meantime, Turkey, Russia, and Iran have all jumped in to the fray to support the Qataris. So too have human rights organizations that are concerned about the impact of food and other shortages that will result from the blockade.</p>
<p>Trump has a point about Qatar: it has played too many sides in the Middle East for far too long. As long ago as 1990, the Qataris were flirting with Saddam Hussein, the Iranians, and the Israelis — while doing what they could to infuriate the Saudis, especially by means of Al Jazeera broadcasts that featured opponents of the royal family.</p>
<p>More recently, Qatar has maintained good relations with Hezbollah and has openly supported Hamas. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are both opposed to Hamas, the three Gulf states have branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization — so has the GCC. Israel shares their position on both organizations.</p>
<p>The Saudis and Emiratis also accuse Doha of supporting radical Islamists in Syria, and the Muslim Brotherhood throughout the Middle East, one reason why Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is supporting the increasing pressure on Doha. Trump has bought into those accusations as well, though the Qataris dispute them.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58ee700977bb70f3398b7b91-2400/ap17102361319847.jpg" alt="Rex Tillerson" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko" data-mce-caption="US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prior to their talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 12, 2017."></p>
<p>On the other hand, Tillerson is reflecting the views not only of the State Department, but also of the Pentagon, which relies heavily on the al-Udeid Air Base. Having negotiated with the Qataris for their contribution to its expansion in the early 2000s, I can testify to its strategic importance in the region. There is much to be said for Tillerson’s efforts.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, something must be done about Doha’s maverick policies. Given the divergence between what the president has said and what his national security agencies believe, the best course at this time is for Washington to take a back seat to Kuwait’s efforts to negotiate an end to the Gulf impasse.</p>
<p>The administration does not have to threaten to leave al-Udeid; the Qataris know full well that this is possible. It knows as well that other Gulf states would be prepared to expand their own facilities quickly should the need arise. Indeed, the Saudis already have a major airbase that once hosted American forces.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/593441455124c94251a4343b-800/irans-leader-lashes-out-at-trump-saudis-for-anti-tehran-alliance-2017-6.jpg" alt="Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2017. Leader.ir/Handout via REUTERS " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran"></p>
<p>At the same time, <span data-pullquote="Washington should impress upon the Saudis and Emiratis not to humiliate the Qataris to the point where GCC-wide defense cooperation becomes a non-starter.">Washington should impress upon the Saudis and Emiratis not to humiliate the Qataris to the point where GCC-wide defense cooperation becomes a non-starter.</span> Doha must be allowed to save face. That might mean ending any pressure to close down Al Jazeera, for example. The Saudis have learned to live with what is clearly an irritant, and they could continue to do so.</p>
<p>Similarly it may be asking too much to get Doha to break with Iran; Qatar is not the only Gulf state that does business with the Iranians. Instead, the key is to get Doha to stop supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, and other radical groups, whether directly or indirectly through so-called “private” donations. The Qataris should be ready to step back in this regard, for they have overplayed a hand that has long been very tenuous.</p>
<p>If Kuwait, with the backing of the United States and other Western nations can bring about such a settlement, it will represent a major blow to international terrorism while allowing a reconciliation among the Gulf states. It will also rob the Iranians and Russians in particular of an opportunity to create even more mischief in the Middle East. And that, in and of itself, would be a very good thing indeed.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-arms-deal-senate-vote-2017-6" >Senate votes 53-47 to defeat Saudi Arabia arms deal block</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gulf-crisis-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/side-effects-brain-body-drugs-adderall-recreationally-adhd-pill-2017-2">What happens to your brain and body if you use Adderall recreationally</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/5-most-bizarre-decisions-in-the-gulf-qatar-crisis-2017-6Al Jazeera banned in Saudi Arabia — and 4 other bizarre decisions in the Gulf-Qatar crisishttp://www.businessinsider.com/5-most-bizarre-decisions-in-the-gulf-qatar-crisis-2017-6
Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:05:07 -0400
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/593ea005da6dde5136719849-571/qatar-airways-in-focus-as-boeing-airbus-vie-for-orders.jpg" alt="Qatari men take pictures after the Airbus A320-200 aircraft chartered by Qatar Airways landed at Doha's new Hamad International Airport (HIA), April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Qatari men take pictures after the Airbus A320 aircraft chartered by Qatar Airways landed at Doha's new Hamad International Airport"></p><p>On June 5, <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/organisations/gcc.html" target="_self">GCC</a> members Saudi Arabia, the <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/united-arab-emirates.html" target="_self">United Arab Emirates</a> and Bahrain, announced their decision to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/saudi-arabia-uae-egypt-bahrain-cut-ties-qatar-170605031700062.html" target="_self">sever</a> diplomatic relations with <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/qatar.html" target="_self">Qatar</a> and install an air, land and sea blockade.</p>
<p>The announcements were only the first of a number of measures that were taken over the following week, most of which were issued in by the three governments, and some targeted their own citizens.</p>
<p><span>Here are a few of the most prominent - and strangest - of these decrees.</span></p>
<h2>Breaking up families</h2>
<p>The Saudi-led bloc issued orders of forced removals against their own nationals, as well as Qatari nationals.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/593ea005da6dde513671984a-1109/90192147685400598231201155772o.jpg" alt="Doha, Qatar" data-mce-source="Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider"></p>
<p>Qatari residents of <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/saudi-arabia.html" target="_self">Saudi Arabia</a>, the UAE and <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/bahrain.html" target="_self">Bahrain</a> were given two weeks' notice to leave and return to Qatar. Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini citizens residing in Qatar were told by their governments to return immediately or face serious consequences.</p>
<p>Thousands of individuals and families <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/saudi-led-blockade-qatar-breaking-families-170609131754141.html" target="_self">suffered</a> under these orders, as the deep familial and interpersonal ties between GCC countries mean that there are a huge number of families where one spouse is Qatari and the other is a national of another GCC country.</p>
<p>These families were split up. Qatari mothers residing in Saudi, the UAE or Bahrain took the brunt of these decisions, since they were forced to leave their children, who only have their father's citizenship, behind.</p>
<h2>Criminalising sympathy</h2>
<p>Sympathy for Qatar expressed by <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/subjects/social-media.html" target="_self">social media</a> users across the GCC created a PR disaster for the countries who severed relations with their Gulf neighbour.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/593ea005da6dde513671984b-2163/rtr2xg9w.jpg" alt="The Princess Tower in Dubai, UAE" data-mce-source="Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh" data-mce-caption="20: The Princess Tower in Dubai. Height: 1,358 ft."></p>
<p>To stem the flow of negative reactions Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain took steps to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/On%20June%205,%20three%20GCC%20members;%20Saudi%20Arabia,%20the%20United%20Arab%20Emirates%20and%20Bahrain,%20announced%20their%20decision%20to%20sever%20diplomatic%20relations%20with%20Qatar.%20%20%20The%20announcements%20were%20only%20the%20first%20of%20a%20number%20of%20measures%20that%20were%20taken%20over%20the%20following%20week,%20most%20of%20which%20were%20issued%20in%20by%20the%20three%20governments,%20and%20some%20targeted%20their%20own%20citizens.%20%20Here%20are%20a%20few%20of%20the%20most%20prominent%20-%20and%20strangest%20-%20of%20these%20decrees.%20%20READ%20MORE:%20Qatar-Gulf%20crisis%20-%20All%20the%20latest%20updates%20%20Breaking%20up%20families%20%20The%20Saudi-led%20bloc%20issued%20orders%20of%20forced%20removals%20against%20their%20own%20nationals,%20as%20well%20as%20Qatari%20nationals.%20%20Qatari%20residents%20resident%20of%20Saudi%20Arabia,%20the%20UAE%20and%20Bahrain%20were%20given%20two%20weeks'%20notice%20to%20leave%20and%20return%20to%20Qatar.%20Saudi,%20Emirati%20and%20Bahraini%20citizens%20residing%20in%20Qatar%20were%20told%20by%20their%20governments%20to%20return%20immediately%20or%20face%20serious%20consequences.%20%20Thousands%20of%20individuals%20and%20families%20suffered%20under%20these%20orders,%20as%20the%20deep%20familial%20and%20interpersonal%20ties%20between%20GCC%20countries%20mean%20that%20there%20are%20a%20huge%20number%20of%20families%20where%20one%20spouse%20is%20Qatari%20and%20the%20other%20is%20a%20national%20of%20another%20GCC%20country.%20%20These%20families%20were%20split%20up.%20Qatari%20mothers%20residing%20in%20Saudi,%20the%20UAE%20or%20Bahrain%20took%20the%20brunt%20of%20these%20decisions,%20since%20they%20were%20forced%20to%20leave%20their%20children,%20who%20only%20have%20their%20father's%20citizenship,%20behind.%20%20WATCH:%20Amnesty%20slams%20embargo%20on%20Qatar%20over%20rights%20violations%20(2:19)%20Criminalising%20sympathy%20%20Sympathy%20for%20Qatar%20expressed%20by%20social%20media%20users%20across%20the%20GCC%20created%20a%20PR%20disaster%20for%20the%20countries%20who%20severed%20relations%20with%20their%20Gulf%20neighbour.%20To%20stem%20the%20flow%20of%20negative%20reactions%20Saudi%20Arabia,%20UAE%20and%20Bahrain%20took%20steps%20to%20intimidate%20their%20citizens%20from%20expressing%20opinions%20that%20opposed%20their%20policies.%20%20The%20UAE%20Attorney%20General%20Hamad%20Saif%20al-Shamsi%20announced%20that%20any%20objections%20to%20the%20UAE's%20strict%20measures%20against%20the%20government%20of%20Qatar%20or%20expression%20of%20sympathy%20with%20Qatar%20would%20be%20a%20crime%20punishable%20by%20a%20prison%20sentence%20of%203-15%20years%20and%20a%20fine%20of%20no%20less%20than%20$136,000%20(500,000AED),%20whether%20on%20a%20social%20media%20platform%20or%20via%20any%20written%20or%20spoken%20medium.%20%20Shamsi%20added%20that%20the%20UAE%20had%20taken%20decisive%20action%20against%20Qatar%20as%20a%20result%20of%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">curb their citizens</a> from expressing opinions that opposed their policies.</p>
<p>The UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi announced that any objections to the UAE's strict measures against the government of Qatar or expression of sympathy with Qatar would be a crime punishable by a prison sentence of 3-15 years and a fine of no less than $136,000 (500,000AED), whether on a social media platform or via any written or spoken medium.</p>
<p>Shamsi added that the UAE had taken decisive action against Qatar as a result of "its hostile and irresponsible policy against the UAE and a number of Gulf and Arab states". He noted that these infractions would be prosecuted in accordance with cybercrime laws because they were deemed to be harmful to the nation's higher interests and social stability.</p>
<p>Shamsi stated that the general prosecutor's office would be implementing the law on offenders who were guilty of what he called "crimes". He stressed that this decision was taken to preserve the national security of the UAE and its higher interests and the interests of its people.</p>
<p>The criminalisation of sympathy with Qatar was implemented in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with slight differences in the length of prison sentences and size of fines.</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/593ac181c4adee20008b4a7c-1200/qatar-air-map02.png" alt="Qatar air map_02" data-mce-source="Mike Nudelman/Business Insider"></p>
<p>The Bahraini Ministry of Interior stated "any expression of sympathy with the government of Qatar or opposition to the measures taken by the government of Bahrain, whether through social media, Twitter or any other form of communication, is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine".</p>
<h2>Banning Al Jazeera and blocking websites</h2>
<p>Hotel residents in Saudi Arabia can no longer watch Al Jazeera channels, after the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/saudi-arabia-bans-al-jazeera-channels-hotels-170609141041079.html" target="_self">warned</a> against airing Al Jazeera inside any hotel or tourist establishment.</p>
<p>The commission stressed that all channels belonging to the Al Jazeera Media Network are to be removed from the list of satellite stations in "all hotel rooms and touristic facilities and furnished residential units … including the TV lists kept within", in order to avoid punishments that included fines up to $27,000 (100,000 Saudi riyals) and a cancellation of the hotel's licence.</p>
<p>This general directive was sent to the owners and operators of tourist facilities, and it stressed that channels screened should be "compatible" with "official Saudi channels".</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/593ea005da6dde513671984c-1600/qatarchaos1.jpg" alt="qatarchaos1" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="A man looks at pigeons at Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar, June 6, 2017."></p>
<p>In addition, the commission ruled that no individual receiver units be available inside rooms, each hotel to must have a central receiver programmed in accordance with official Saudi policy.</p>
<p>At the end of May 2017, Egypt <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/egypt-blocks-financial-newspaper-website-170528165449860.html" target="_self">blocked 21 websites</a>, including Aljazeera.net, claiming that they had content "supporting terrorism and extremism as well as publishing lies". A source at the official Middle East News Agency said that most prominent among those blocked sites were Aljazeera.net, al-Sharq, Masr al-Arabia, al-Shaab, HuffPost Arabi, Rassd, and Hamas Online.</p>
<p>Among the blocked sites was also Mada Masr, an Egyptian news site that works from within <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/egypt.html" target="_self">Egypt</a> and describes itself as progressive and not linked to "Islamists" or to Qatar.</p>
<p>The Saudi-led bloc against Qatar followed suit and blocked websites from the Al Jazeera Media Network and the Qatari newspapers al-Watan, al-Raya, al-Arab, and al-Sharq.</p>
<p>Saudi internet users were greeted by the statement "The requested site is in violation of the systems and directives of the Ministry of Culture and Information".</p>
<p>Users within the UAE attempting to access a number of sites, including Aljazeera.net, see a message from the telecommunications regulatory authority stating that the sites' content is restricted and does not comply with the standards of the telecommunications authority.</p>
<h2>Closing postal services</h2>
<p>On June 8, the Emirates Post Group, a government agency, announced that all postal services to Qatar would be halted in accordance with instructions from the government of the UAE.</p>
<p>The group further stated that all postal offices within the country had been informed to stop accepting any mail being sent to Qatar.</p>
<h2><strong>Charity organisations</strong></h2>
<p>On June 8, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt issued a joint press release in which they designated a number of individuals and organisations of differing nationalities as "<a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/saudi-led-bloc-issues-terror-list-170608221049889.html" target="_self">terrorist</a>".</p>
<p>The list included 59 individuals, including Yusef al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, as well as 12 bodies including Qatar Charity and Eid Charity.</p>
<p>The UN <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/bound-saudi-arabia-terror-list-170609184543168.html" target="_self">responded</a> to this statement by reiterating that they are bound only by the "terrorist designations" issued by its own agencies, not those issued by any other party.</p>
<p>Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general of the UN, said that the UN has strong cooperation with Qatar Charity, including a number of joint projects being implemented in <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/yemen.html" target="_self">Yemen</a>, Syria and <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/iraq.html" target="_self">Iraq</a>.</p>
<p>An official at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded said that accusing Qatar Charity of "terrorism" is not only a defamation of humanitarian charitable work, but also constituted a <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-rejects-saudi-led-bloc-terror-list-170609053901190.html" target="_self">violation</a> of international standards and rules.</p>
<p>He pointed out that the inclusion of a number of journalists on the list indicated that the purpose was to intimidate and to muzzle <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/subjects/press-freedoms.html" target="_self">freedom of expression</a> guaranteed by international accords.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/5-most-bizarre-decisions-in-the-gulf-qatar-crisis-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeans-denim-small-pocket-levis-secret-2016-5">Here’s why your jeans have that tiny front pocket</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-arab-powers-adds-qatar-linked-people-groups-to-blacklists-2017-6Turkey sends troops, warships, and planes to Qatar as Arab countries blacklist Qatar-linked peoplehttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-arab-powers-adds-qatar-linked-people-groups-to-blacklists-2017-6
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 09:44:00 -0400Stephen Kalin and Tom Finn
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/593a4c285124c93a7dcc0f4b-450-300/arab-powers-adds-qatar-linked-people-groups-to-blacklists-2017-6.jpg" alt="Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi arrives to lead the Friday prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo February 18, 2011. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem " border="0"></p><p></p>
<p>DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Arab states that have cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar tightened their squeeze on Friday by putting dozens of Qatar-linked people on terrorism blacklists, while Qatari ally Turkey came to its side with plans to send troops, warships and planes.</p>
<p>The developments intensified a confrontation between tiny-but-wealthy Qatar and a group of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt that accuse it of fomenting instability. The dispute has created a major diplomatic test for the United States, which is close allies of the countries on both sides.</p>
<p>In an apparent escalation of the crisis, staff at Al Jazeera, Qatar's influential satellite television news channel which often infuriates the rulers of the Arab world, said on Thursday its computer systems were under cyber attack.</p>
<p>Riyadh, Cairo and their allies accuse Qatar, the world's richest country per capita, of supporting militant Islamist movements across the region. They have imposed what Qatar says is a blockade of shipping and air traffic, and closed Qatar's only land border, causing panic buying at supermarkets.</p>
<h2>Assertive foreign policy</h2>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5911a4b95124c9532a6a0cf7-800/qatar-says-syria-de-escalation-plan-not-an-alternative-to-political-transition-2017-5.jpg" alt="Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, in this file photo dated April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow">Qatar, which has developed an assertive foreign policy over the past decade, denies that it supports militants and says it is helping to reduce the threat of terrorism by backing groups that fight poverty and seek political reform.</p>
<p>Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani called the moves by Arab neighbors and others "clear violations of international law and international humanitarian law.</p>
<p>"They will not have a positive impact on the region but a negative one," the minister said during a visit to Germany.</p>
<p>German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called for diplomatic efforts to resolve the worst crisis to grip the region in years.</p>
<p>"We are convinced that now is the hour of diplomacy and we must talk to each other; along with our American colleagues but above all our colleagues in the region, we must try to find solutions, especially lifting the sea and air blockades."</p>
<p>Washington relies closely on the countries on both sides of the dispute for its military operations in the Gulf: Qatar hosts the U.S. Air Force's biggest base in the region, while Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy. Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar have funded rebels fighting in the Syrian civil war.</p>
<p>The conflagration erupted just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia. Trump initially responded by tweeting his support for moves against Qatar, even as his State Department and Defense Department sought to remain neutral.</p>
<p>With supply chains disrupted and anxiety mounting about economic turbulence, banks and firms in Gulf Arab states were trying to keep business links to Qatar open and avoid a costly firesale of assets. The riyal currency has tumbled and the cost of insuring Qatari debt against default has risen.</p>
<h2><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/593aa279c4adee1c008b4938-947/gulf-qatar.jpg" alt="qatar fallout" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters"></h2>
<h2>Clashing over brotherhood</h2>
<p>Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain added 59 people to terrorist blacklists, among them 18 Qataris, including Abdullah bin Khalid Al Thani, a former interior minister and member of Qatar's royal family.</p>
<p>The Qatari government said the move "reinforces baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact".</p>
<p>"Our position on countering terrorism is stronger than many of the signatories of the joint statement - a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the authors," it said in a statement. Those on the list, including the former interior minister, could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>Many of the others added to the list are figures associated with the Muslim Brotherhood who have made Qatar a base, including Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi. Some are prominent jihadists who have fought in Libya and Syria.</p>
<p>Qatar has angered its neighbors for years by supporting the Brotherhood, a decades-old underground movement that calls for rule based on Islamic principles.</p>
<p>The Brotherhood says it eschews violence but some Arab states call it a terrorist movement. It came to power in Egypt in an election in 2012 but was toppled a year later by the military.</p>
<p>Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK Party has its roots in Islamist politics and who has voiced support for the Brotherhood, signaled his firm backing for Qatar by swiftly signing a law to send Turkish troops to a base there.</p>
<p>In a signal of Turkey's urgency over the issue, parliament passed the law on Wednesday, Erdogan signed it on Thursday and it was published in the state gazette by Friday.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Turkish warplanes and warships</h2>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/593aa4e3bf76bb72038b48a1-2000/rtx39j9z.jpg" alt="turkey qatar protests" data-mce-source="Reuters/Murad Sezer" data-mce-caption="People shout slogans as they hold Turkish and Qatari flags during a demonstration in favour of Qatar in central Istanbul, Turkey, late June 7, 2017.">Turkey will send warplanes and warships to Qatar after an initial deployment of troops at a base in Doha, the mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper said on its website.</p>
<p>"The number of Turkish warplanes and Turkish warships going to the base will become clear after the preparation of a report based on an initial assessment at the base," Hurriyet said. Around 90 Turkish soldiers are currently at the base, it said.</p>
<p>Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on the report but Hurriyet said there were plans to send some 200-250 soldiers within two months in the initial stage.</p>
<p>Staff at Al Jazeera said on Thursday the Qatari state-funded network, which is watched by millions of people across the Arabic-speaking world, had come under a sustained cyber attack but was still functioning.</p>
<p>Qatar also said last month its state news agency had been hacked and false statements attributed to the country's ruler posted, helping ignite the current rift with other Arab states.</p>
<p>Qatar said it leads the region in attacking what it called the roots of terrorism, giving young people hope through jobs, educating hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and funding community programs to challenge extremist agendas.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting both Sunni Muslim Islamist militants and Shi'ite Muslim Iran - charges Qatar rejects. Several other countries later followed suit.</p>
<p>Would-be mediators, including Trump and Kuwait's ruling emir, have struggled to ease the crisis.</p>
<p>Trump initially took sides in tweets with the Saudi-led group, before apparently being nudged into a more even-handed approach when U.S. defence officials renewed praise of Qatar where their base is located.</p>
<p>Qatar's ambassador to Washington said on Thursday his government trusted Trump's ability to resolve the dispute.</p>
<p>"The most important engagement that happened so far from the U.S. is by the president, which we highly appreciate," Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani told the Financial Times. "We truly believe that the involvement of the president and the U.S. will bring this crisis to an end."</p>
<p>The ambassador left open the prospect of compromise, saying: "We are courageous enough to acknowledge if things need to be amended."</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by William Maclean and Rania Gamal in Dubai, Andrea Shalal in Germany; Writing by Peter Graff, editing by Peter Millership)</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-food-families-and-flights-anxiety-and-confusion-descend-on-qatar-2017-6" >'It is a blockade!': Anxiety and confusion descend on Qatar</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-arab-powers-adds-qatar-linked-people-groups-to-blacklists-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-some-people-turn-red-drink-alcohol-2017-4">The disturbing reason some people turn red when they drink alcohol</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-food-families-and-flights-anxiety-and-confusion-descend-on-qatar-2017-6'It is a blockade!': Anxiety and confusion descend on Qatarhttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-food-families-and-flights-anxiety-and-confusion-descend-on-qatar-2017-6
Thu, 08 Jun 2017 09:51:00 -0400Tom Finn
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/59394f065124c9ea16e058ff-450-300/food-families-and-flights-anxiety-and-confusion-descend-on-qatar-2017-6.jpg" alt="A man walks as he shops in a mall in Doha, Qatar, June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer" border="0"></p><p>DOHA (Reuters) - When 31-year-old Ali al-Mohanadi heard Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other nations were cutting ties and severing all transport links with his home country Qatar, he emptied the back of his Land Cruiser SUV and drove to a nearby supermarket.</p>
<p>Tensions had been building for days between Qatar and its powerful Gulf Arab neighbors and Mohanadi feared Saudi's closure of Qatar's only land border on Monday could lead to price hikes and food shortages in the import-dependent country.</p>
<p>"I bought lots of vegetables, frozen chicken and milk for my children, things I knew would be the first to disappear from the shelves," said Mohanadi, a former army lieutenant from Qatar's city of Al Khor. He said he wanted to be prepared but did not feel panic.</p>
<p>Hours later supermarkets in Doha visited by a Reuters reporter had almost run out of dairy products as scores of people waited in checkout lines and stocked up on beans and other staples.</p>
<p>The rift has provoked confusion and anxiety in Qatar, an energy, banking and construction hub, which is home to 2.7 million people -- most of them foreigners. Some Qataris were outraged by the state of affairs.</p>
<p>Authorities tried to calm nerves on Wednesday, releasing a video showing a shop with shelves brimming with food and reassuring Qataris - the wealthiest people in the world per capita - that their quality of life would not be hit.</p>
<p>But the row over Qatar's alleged support for Islamist groups has disrupted many aspects of life.</p>
<p>Thousands of Qataris have been unable to board flights to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and cut off from relatives in those countries, in a region where cross-border marriages are common and Gulf rulers refer to each other as "brothers".</p>
<p>Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and several other countries severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their arch-foe Iran - charges Qatar says are baseless.</p>
<h2><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/593953a1d508f8e6098b4e13-2000/rtx39guk.jpg" alt="hamad international airport doha qatar" data-mce-source="Reuters/Naseem Zeitoon" data-mce-caption="Passengers stand at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, June 7, 2017."></h2>
<h2>Qatar isolated</h2>
<p>In further signs of Qatar's isolation on Thursday, the United Arab Emirates' national postal group said it had suspended all services to Qatar and the UAE aviation authority said it had closed air space for traffic to and from Doha.</p>
<p>"My mother who is originally from the UAE cannot visit her sick mother, needless to say we will not be able to see my uncles," said Mohammed, a Qatar University professor, who gave his first name only.</p>
<p>He said a Saudi friend of his living in Qatar had sent his child to Riyadh for a family visit before the embargo and now he does not know what to do. Qatari students in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been told to leave before finishing exams, he said.</p>
<p>"The issue is presented to the West as a diplomatic spat ... the reality is far worse," a Qatari diplomat said. "It is a blockade! Like that of Berlin. A declaration of war. A political, economic and social aggression."</p>
<p>Even if the dispute is settled, Qataris and other Gulf Arabs worry that the bitter spat which has seen both sides denounce each other as "enemies" and "traitors" of the Gulf has sown divisions and hostility that will linger on.</p>
<p>"I think it is three things we are scared of: family ties being severed, possible military action and losing the spirit of the Gulf Cooperation Council," said Mohammed, the professor, referring to the regional political and economic union set up in 1981.</p>
<p>Slogans against and in support of Qatar in Arabic have dominated Twitter, which is hugely popular in the region, and have grown steadily more nationalistic and aggressive in tone.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Qatari leader silent</h2>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5934fec6b74af40c508b5e08-2000/sheik tamim bin hamad al-thani emir qatar.jpg" alt="Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir Qatar" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy" data-mce-caption="Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrives at the high level segment of the U.N. climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016.">The fact that Qatar's leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has yet to speak publicly since ties were cut, has made some Qataris uneasy. Kuwait's ruler, who is mediating in the crisis, asked him to postpone a speech to the nation earlier this week to give dialogue efforts a chance.</p>
<p>"Of course we are all waiting for him to speak," said Sara al-Sulaiti, a Qatari who works in public relations.</p>
<p>Others say Sheikh Tamim's silence displays the tact U.S. President Donald Trump lacked when he posted a series of Tweets on Tuesday appearing to take sides against Qatar in the dispute.</p>
<p>"The emir is wise not to speak," said Faraj, a Qatari engineer working for a telecommunications company. "We know that he has a plan for us. Unlike in our neighboring countries we have deep faith in our leaders."</p>
<p>For low-income foreign laborers, the biggest concerns are possible food price rises and job cuts if projects are stalled because of construction materials being held up at the Saudi border.</p>
<p>Qatar is home to more than a million migrant laborers from countries including India, Nepal and Bangladesh, many of whom for around 1,000 riyals ($275) a month toil on construction projects including football stadiums and a metro system being built for the 2022 World Cup.</p>
<p>"I have never seen Qatari citizens stocking up on frozen chicken and long-life milks," said Anup Manoj, an Indian man who works as a cleaner in Doha's City Center Mall, where many shops no longer stock milk packaged by Saudi Arabia's Almarai Co, the most affordable kind of milk in Qatar.</p>
<p>"They have money to stock up. But when they stock up it's laborers and lower income workers who are going to suffer."</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>(Editing by Peter Millership)</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-residents-stock-up-on-food-supplies-in-wake-of-uncertainty-2017-6" >Qataris are scrambling to stock up on money and food after Arab nations cut off ties with country</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-food-families-and-flights-anxiety-and-confusion-descend-on-qatar-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-explains-tips-attacked-by-dog-2017-6">A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you're attacked by a dog</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-international-efforts-intensify-to-resolve-qatar-dispute-in-gulf-2017-6International efforts are intensifying to resolve the Qatar dispute in the Gulfhttp://www.businessinsider.com/afp-international-efforts-intensify-to-resolve-qatar-dispute-in-gulf-2017-6
Thu, 08 Jun 2017 09:28:00 -0400Natacha Yazbeck
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/593939eb5124c9f66c9e8f74-800/afp-international-efforts-intensify-to-resolve-qatar-dispute-in-gulf.jpg" alt="US President Trump, who had initially backed the measures against Qatar in a tweet, called Sheik Tamim (L) on Wednesday with an offer " border="0"></p><p>Dubai (AFP) - Efforts to resolve a diplomatic dispute pitting Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar intensified Thursday, after Washington offered to mediate the biggest crisis to grip the Gulf in years.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As Kuwait's emir shuttled between Gulf capitals for talks, US President Donald Trump offered to host a White House meeting if necessary, in a change of heart from his initial support for the Saudi-led boycott.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain lead a string of countries that this week cut ties with Qatar over what they say is the emirate's financing of extremist groups and its ties to Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Qatar strongly denies the allegations and has expressed a willingness to engage in talks to resolve the crisis.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Arab countries closed air, sea and land links with Qatar, barred the emirate's planes from their airspace and ordered Qatari citizens out within 14 days.</p>
<p>The feud has raised fears of wider instability in an already-volatile region that is a crucial global energy supplier and home to several Western military bases.</p>
<p>Kuwait -- which unlike most of its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members has not cut off ties with Qatar -- has been leading efforts to mediate.</p>
<p>Its emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah held talks on Wednesday with Qatari counterpart Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, following talks with senior UAE officials and Saudi King Salman.</p>
<h2>Turkey approves troops&nbsp;</h2>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5921b0ef63914743008b54af-2400/2017-05-21t151349z1lynxmped4k0mprtroptp4usa-trump-saudi.jpg" alt="trump saudi arabia" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump delivers a speech during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017.">Trump, who had initially backed the measures against Qatar in a tweet, called Sheik Tamim on Wednesday with an offer "to help the parties resolve their differences".</p>
<p>Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US airbase in the Middle East. Home to some 10,000 troops, Al-Udeid is central to the US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron has also reached out to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran in a bid to kick off negotiations.</p>
<p>Turkey, which works closely with Qatar in the energy sector, has walked a fine line between defending Qatar and abstaining from openly antagonizing Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Ankara hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif this week for talks, including on Qatar.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In a sign of support for Doha, Turkey's parliament on Wednesday approved an agreement to expand the number of troops deployed to a Turkish base in Qatar. The agreement did not detail a timeframe or the number of troops.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Iran and Qatar share the world's largest gas field, an offshore site the Iranians call South Pars and the Qataris call the North Dome. Doha is the largest exporter of natural liquefied gas in the world.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Analysts say the crisis is in part an extension of a 2014 dispute, when Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily recalled their ambassadors from Doha over Qatar's support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A top Gulf official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP a major concern was the influence of Sheikh Tamim's father, Sheikh Hamad, who had allowed the Taliban to open an office in Doha and helped arm Syrian rebels before abdicating in 2013.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"The previous emir is a big supporter of this whole extremist agenda, so we do have an issue," the official said.&nbsp;</p>
<h2><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5934fec6b74af40c508b5e08-2000/sheik tamim bin hamad al-thani emir qatar.jpg" alt="Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir Qatar" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy" data-mce-caption="Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrives at the high level segment of the U.N. climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016."></h2>
<h2>Foreign policy 'gone wild'</h2>
<p>Doha has for years forged its own alliances in the region, often diverging from the politics of the six-state GCC and taking in leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinian Hamas and members of the Afghan Taliban.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A senior Emirati official told AFP this week's decision was not aimed at a change of regime in Qatar but to pressure the country to reshape its policy.</p>
<p>"This is a foreign policy that gone wild," state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash told AFP. "We need to put everything in check."</p>
<p>Gargash said the four Arab states seek a "political commitment to change course" by Qatar, including ending its support for the Brotherhood and Hamas.</p>
<p>Qatar's satellite news giant Al-Jazeera has also emerged as a point of contention in the Gulf. Gargash said "not using the formidable media ownership in promoting an extremist agenda" was a condition for negotiations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The UAE and Saudi Arabia have banned Al-Jazeera from the airwaves and closed the channel's offices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>burs-ny/mm</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-qatar-statements-directly-contradict-state-department-2017-6" >Trump's statements about Qatar 'funding extremism' directly contradict his own State Department's stance</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-international-efforts-intensify-to-resolve-qatar-dispute-in-gulf-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/side-effects-brain-body-drugs-adderall-recreationally-adhd-pill-2017-2">What happens to your brain and body if you use Adderall recreationally</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-all-options-are-on-the-table-to-deal-with-qatar-as-tensions-mount-2017-6Bahrain says all options are on the table to deal with Qatar as tensions mounthttp://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-all-options-are-on-the-table-to-deal-with-qatar-as-tensions-mount-2017-6
Wed, 07 Jun 2017 17:04:31 -0400Noah Browning
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/593869fbb1bd566e008b4d59-541/2017-06-07t204636z1lynxmped561wortroptp3un-assembly.jpg" alt="Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Mike Segar" data-mce-caption="Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly in New York."></p><p>Bahrain's foreign minister said he appreciated Kuwaiti mediation to resolve an Arab row with Qatar, the Saudi newspaper Mecca reported on Wednesday, but that all options were open for his country to protect itself from Doha.</p>
<p>Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries cut their ties with Doha on Monday, accusing it of supporting militants and their arch-foe Iran - charges Qatar says are baseless.</p>
<p>Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, traveled from the UAE to Qatar on Wednesday after visiting Saudi Arabia the day before to resolve the crisis.</p>
<p>But in some of the strongest comments related to those efforts by a senior Gulf Arab official, Bahrain's Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa reportedly told the newspaper that it doubted whether Qatar would change its behavior.</p>
<p>"The emir of Kuwait is a messenger of good, but the policies of Qatar have not granted his endeavors success," Mecca reported Sheikh Khaled as saying on its official Twitter page.</p>
<p>"We will not hesitate to protect our interests and the road is open to any options to protect ourselves from Qatar."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-statement-isis-attack-iran-2017-6" >Trump on ISIS attack in Iran: 'States that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-all-options-are-on-the-table-to-deal-with-qatar-as-tensions-mount-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-cheaper-flights-other-airline-secrets-2017-10">6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-twitter-qatar-cut-off-end-of-terrorism-arab-nation-middle-east-2017-6Trump takes credit for Arab cut-off to major US ally — calls it 'beginning of the end' of terrorismhttp://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-twitter-qatar-cut-off-end-of-terrorism-arab-nation-middle-east-2017-6
Tue, 06 Jun 2017 10:49:29 -0400Michelle Mark
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5921b0ef63914743008b54af-2400/2017-05-21t151349z1lynxmped4k0mprtroptp4usa-trump-saudi.jpg" alt="trump saudi arabia" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump delivers a speech during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017."></p><p></p>
<p>President Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/872062159789985792">tweeted</a> Tuesday morning that Arab leaders had blamed Qatar for funding "Radical Ideology" during his visit to Saudi Arabia last month.</p>
<p>"So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off," Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/872084870620520448">continued</a>.</p>
<p>"They said they would take a hard line on funding ... extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday over its government’s alleged support for extremist and terrorist organizations.</p>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">
During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look! </p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/872062159789985792">June 6, 2017</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p>The actions were necessary because of the "gross violations committed by authorities in Qatar over the past years," according to a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-gulf-states-egypt-cut-ties-with-qatar-2017-6">statement</a> from a Saudi official.</p>
<p>Trump's tweets Tuesday morning contrast with statements he made last month during <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R9ivIjmo0g">a meeting with Qatar’s emir </a>in Saudi Arabia, in which Trump said "our relationship is extremely good."</p>
<p>"We are friends. We’ve been friends now for a long time, haven’t we?" Trump said in the meeting.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-residents-stock-up-on-food-supplies-in-wake-of-uncertainty-2017-6" >Qataris are scrambling to stock up on money and food after Arab nations cut off ties with country</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-twitter-qatar-cut-off-end-of-terrorism-arab-nation-middle-east-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-memes-from-donald-trump-asia-trip-melania-twitter-2017-11">The 4 best memes from Trump's trip to Asia</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-gulf-states-egypt-cut-ties-with-qatar-2017-64 Arab nations cut diplomatic ties with Qatar over 'terrorism' linkshttp://www.businessinsider.com/afp-gulf-states-egypt-cut-ties-with-qatar-2017-6
Mon, 05 Jun 2017 02:55:00 -0400Ian Geoffrey Timberlake
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5934fef1b74af46e328b5136-1530/sheik tamim bin hamad al-thani emir qatar.jpg" alt="Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir Qatar" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy" data-mce-caption="Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrives at the high level segment of the U.N. climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016."></p><p>RIYADH, Saudi Arabia —&nbsp;Gulf states on Monday cut diplomatic ties with neighboring Qatar and kicked it out of a military coalition, less than a month after US President Donald Trump visited the region to cement ties with the powerhouse Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>In the region's most serious diplomatic crisis in years, Qatar's Gulf neighbors Riyadh, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates as well as Egypt all announced they were severing ties with the gas-rich Qatar.</p>
<p>Riyadh cut diplomatic relations and closed borders with its neighbor to "protect its national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism," the official Saudi Press Agency said.</p>
<p>A Saudi official cited by SPA said Riyadh decided to "sever diplomatic and consular ties with Qatar, and to close all land, sea, and aviation ports."</p>
<p>The "decisive" measure was due to the "gross violations committed by authorities in Qatar over the past years," the Saudi statement said. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Many expatriate and Saudi travelers use Qatar as their gateway into the kingdom.</p>
<p>A Saudi-led coalition that&nbsp;for more than two years has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen separately announced Qatar was no longer welcome in the alliance.</p>
<p>In a statement, the coalition accused Qatar of "support to (terrorist) organisations in Yemen."</p>
<p>Qatar had assigned warplanes to the coalition conducting airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels.</p>
<p>Egypt's foreign ministry also accused Doha of supporting "terrorism" and announced the closing of its ports and airports to Qatari carriers.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5922e329639147e5008b5498-2400/rtx36ttb.jpg" alt="donald trump King Salman" data-mce-source="Jonathan Ernst/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman attend the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh"></p>
<h2>'Shameful cybercrime'&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Doha launched an investigation into what it said was a&nbsp;"hack" of state media after it said false and explosive remarks attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani were published on the Qatar News Agency website last month.</p>
<p>The stories quoted him questioning US hostility toward Iran, speaking of "tensions" between Doha and Washington, commenting on Hamas, and speculating that Trump may&nbsp;not remain in power for long.</p>
<p>The alleged comments were made after Trump's visit to the region.</p>
<p>Doha, however, has denied all the comments and said it had been the victim of a "shameful cybercrime."</p>
<p>Trump's visit to Riyadh — the first foreign stop of his young presidency — saw the two sides sign a&nbsp;"strategic vision" agreement to&nbsp;intensify ties in defense, economics, and other areas.</p>
<p>Riyadh has embraced Trump's harder line against its rival Iran, with which it severed diplomatic relations in January last year.</p>
<p>In a Riyadh speech to Muslim leaders from around the world, Trump urged them to "drive out" extremists and "terrorists," as Sunni jihadists carry out attacks in many countries.</p>
<p>But he also accused&nbsp;Shiite Iran of fueling "the fires of sectarian conflict and terror."</p>
<p>Qatar said it had also been the victim of a hostile media campaign, particularly in the US over the issue of its supposed support for Islamist groups.</p>
<p>Qatar has so far given no indication of where the alleged May 24 cyberattack originated.</p>
<p>But regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates used the comments to demonstrate that Qatar was&nbsp;out of line with Gulf foreign policy, especially regarding Iran.</p>
<p>Media organizations in several countries in the region reported the emir's comments as fact, despite an official denial by Qatar.</p>
<p>They also blocked Qatari broadcasters and websites following the alleged comments.</p>
<p>In a sign that the rift in Qatar's relations with its near neighbors was deepening, one Saudi newspaper reported that members of a prominent Saudi family had demanded that Qatar's state mosque, the Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque, be renamed.</p>
<p>The demand came amid questions over the Qatari royal family's link to Abdul Wahhab, the cofounder of the Saudi state.</p>
<p>Some experts had feared the current situation could trigger a repeat of the crisis in 2014, when several Gulf countries recalled their ambassadors from Doha, ostensibly over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood.</p>
<p>Last week the Qatari emir traveled to Kuwait to meet Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in what was widely seen as an attempt at mediation by the Kuwaitis.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-gulf-states-egypt-cut-ties-with-qatar-2017-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-trump-understands-iran-better-than-obama-did-2017-4Bahrain says Trump understands Iran better than Obama didhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-trump-understands-iran-better-than-obama-did-2017-4
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 15:36:00 -0400Noah Browning
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58e396738af578032f8b53ab-1000/undefined" alt="trump sign" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Andrew Harnik"></p><p>MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's foreign minister said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump understood the region and the threats posed by their common adversary Iran better than Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Speaking in an interview with Reuters at his office in the capital Manama, Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said the staunch U.S. Gulf ally was confident the new administration would soon clarify its stances on foreign policy.</p>
<p>The Sunni-ruled kingdom accuses Iran, a Shi'ite theocracy across the Gulf, of radicalizing and arming some members of its Shi'ite Muslim majority population, and Gulf monarchies say Obama did not do enough to tackle perceived meddling by Iran in Bahrain and in wars raging throughout the region.</p>
<p>Tehran denies any meddling in the island kingdom.</p>
<p>Trump has pledged to deal forcefully with the Islamic Republic and criticized a landmark international deal to curb its nuclear program inked under Obama in 2015 as a concession to a state the United States considers a sponsor of terrorism.</p>
<p>"We see ... a much clearer understanding from the White House of the threats we are facing here in the region and especially the ones that are coming from the Islamic Republic," Sheikh Khaled said.</p>
<p>"The last few years, there was a policy that we think it was better for them to correct, and we advised them it should be corrected."</p>
<p>Sheikh Khaled last month met U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has spoken by telephone with senior U.S. officials, including Trump after his election in November.</p>
<p>Sitting astride one of the world's key oil shipping lanes, Bahrain is a key ally of Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.</p>
<p>Neither country were among the ban Trump is seeking to impose on travelers from Iran and five other Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East and Africa.</p>
<p>Some critics of the Trump administration fear it is prioritizing the fight against militancy and Iran over promoting human rights among American allies, but the foreign minister said the U.S. shift acknowledged the region's harsh realities.</p>
<h2>'Clarity is coming'</h2>
<p><img class="center" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58e3f4c88af5781e008b6465-799/undefined" alt="FILE PHOTO: Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain">Sheikh Khaled said his country welcomed a decision by the White House to pursue a $5 billion sale to Bahrain of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and related equipment which was held up last year by concerns about human rights.</p>
<p>He said Trump's style may have distracted some from the merits of his views, but all administrations had growing pains.</p>
<p>"They'll get in order ... every new administration will always start in a way that will seem unclear, but clarity is coming," he said, speaking in his green and wood-panelled office adorned with pictures of past and present Bahraini monarchs.</p>
<p>"Maybe when you see the difference in the personality of the president, maybe that's kind of giving an overwhelming picture of the situation. Things are working in America."</p>
<p>Since 2011 Arab Spring protests led by Bahrain's Shi'ites were crushed with the help from some Gulf Arab states, Bahrain says Iran has stepped up a campaign to undermine security there and bring about the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family, of which Sheikh Khaled is a member.</p>
<p>"It's a whole project we are facing and it will not stop until this regime changes its course from the way it is now - hegemonic, theocratic, theo-fascist - to a regime that would answer the aspirations of its own people."</p>
<p>"Until that moment we will have to defend ourselves."</p>
<p>Human rights organizations have criticized an escalating government crackdown since the main Shi'ite opposition bloc was shuttered last year, several prominent activist were arrested and the top Shi'ite spiritual leader had his citizenship revoked on corruption charges.</p>
<p>Bahrain says it has acted to reform its security services and that it genuinely seeks dialogue with the opposition in a way that is rare in the mostly closed and authoritarian region.</p>
<p>"We feel like we are being pressured and punished for no reason, just for sticking our neck out and addressing issues that every country has," Sheikh Khaled said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>(Editing by Sami Aboudi and Alison Williams)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-says-trump-understands-iran-better-than-obama-did-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeans-denim-small-pocket-levis-secret-2016-5">Here’s why your jeans have that tiny front pocket</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-trump-administration-drops-human-rights-in-bahrain-f-16-deal-2017-3Trump is going to approve a multibillion-dollar sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain without human rights conditionshttp://www.businessinsider.com/ap-trump-administration-drops-human-rights-in-bahrain-f-16-deal-2017-3
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 08:37:00 -0400Josh Lederman and Jon Gambrell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58dcf81c8af578e1008b4eb9-2400/undefined" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Pool/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump."></p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has told Congress it plans to approve a multibillion-dollar sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain without the human rights conditions imposed by the State Department under President Barack Obama.</p>
<p>If finalized, the approval would allow the Gulf island to purchase 19 of the jets from Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp., plus improvements to other jets in Bahrain's fleet. Though Congress has opportunities to block the sale, it is unlikely it will act to do so, given the Republican majority's strong support for the sale.</p>
<p>The decision is the latest signal that the Trump administration is prioritizing support for Sunni-led countries seen as critical to opposing Iran's influence in the Mideast over human rights issues that Obama had elevated.</p>
<p>Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base, is a predominantly Shiite island off the coast of Saudi Arabia ruled by a Sunni monarchy. Government forces, with help from U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, crushed the 2011 uprising by Shiites and others who sought more political power.</p>
<p>Under Obama, the U.S. withdrew approval before the fighter jet deal was finalized because it said Bahrain hadn't taken steps it had promised to improve human rights.</p>
<p>Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker's office said the committee was told Wednesday by the State Department that it plans to proceed with the sale. The State Department declined to comment.</p>
<p>The notice triggers a 40-day "consultation" period in which committee staff can review a draft of the Bahrain approval, ask questions about the sale and raise any concerns. Then the State Department will send a formal notification to Congress, setting off a final, 30-day review period, during which Congress could pass a joint resolution or take other steps to stop the sale.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/58dcf8a377bb7028008b4f62-2400/undefined" alt="bahrain" data-mce-source="Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Protesters rest during anti-government clashes in the village of Sitra, south of Manama, February 14, 2016. Protesters took to streets in Bahrain on Sunday to mark the 5th anniversary of the 2011 uprising."></p>
<p>Lockheed had lobbied strenuously for the sale's approval, even as rights groups and pro-democracy activists urged the administration not to jettison human rights conditions. Brian Dooley of the Washington-based group Human Rights First said decoupling the sale from such conditions would "encourage further repression" and fuel instability during a tense period for Bahrain.</p>
<p>"The sale will send exactly the wrong signal to the dictatorship: that the White House thinks the political crackdown is not just morally acceptable but also not dangerous, when in fact it's what's fueling the country's instability," Dooley said.</p>
<p>But Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, praised the move and said the caveats would have been "unprecedented and counterproductive" for security and human rights.</p>
<p>"There are more effective ways to seek changes in partner policies than publicly conditioning weapons transfers in this manner," Corker said in a statement.</p>
<p>Among the steps the Obama administration had sought from Bahrain was the release of Nabeel Rajab, a famed human rights activist who helped lead the 2011 protests. Rajab, whose trial has been repeatedly delayed, awaits sentencing on a charge of spreading "false news" via Twitter over his posts about the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison.</p>
<p>The State Department said as recently as this week that it was calling for Rajab's release. The U.S. has said Bahrain lacks evidence against him.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of a government crackdown nearly a year ago, activists have been imprisoned or forced into exile. Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group has been dismantled. Lawmakers recently approved military tribunals for civilians while its feared domestic spy agency regained some arrest powers. Independent news gathering on the island also has grown more difficult.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a series of attacks, including a January prison break, have targeted the island. Shiite militant groups have claimed some of the assaults. Bahrain has accused Iran's Revolutionary Guard of training and arming some militants, something the Shiite regional power has dismissed as a "futile and baseless lie."</p>
<p>Bahrain's government and Lockheed did not respond to requests for comment. In prepared remarks before a hearing Wednesday of the U.S. House's Armed Services Committee, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command acknowledged the delay in the fighter jet sale to Bahrain "continues to strain our relationship."</p>
<p>"We continue to urge the government of Bahrain to reverse steps it has taken over the past year to reduce the space for peaceful political expression in its (Shiite) population and have encouraged the Bahrainis to implement needed political reforms in the country," U.S. Gen. Joseph Votel said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/irgc-warns-of-an-islamic-revolution-in-bahrain-2016-6" >Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards just warned of an Islamic revolution in Bahrain</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-trump-administration-drops-human-rights-in-bahrain-f-16-deal-2017-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/life-camp-humphreys-closest-us-military-base-north-korea-2017-12">What life is like on the $11 billion US military base right next to the North Korean border</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/the-richest-countries-in-the-world-2017-3RANKED: The 30 richest countries in the worldhttp://www.businessinsider.com/the-richest-countries-in-the-world-2017-3
Mon, 06 Mar 2017 08:52:37 -0500Barbara Tasch
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/58bd69b5dd089599488b47ee-771/shutterstock263002016.jpg" alt="toronto" data-mce-source="Shutterstock"></p><p>Some of the smallest countries in the world continue to dominate the list of the world's richest countries, an analysis by <a href="https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/worlds-richest-and-poorest-countries">Global Finance Magazine</a>&nbsp;shows.</p>
<p>The ranking was published in February 2017 and based on data from the International Monetary Fund.</p>
<p>The magazine ranked the world's countries according to their gross domestic product (GDP) based on purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita.</p>
<p>The PPP takes into account the relative cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries to compare living standards among the different nations.</p>
<p>The small countries that dominate the top ten all&nbsp;have small populations compared to countries that lead the world purely in terms of GDP — such as the United States, China, or Germany.</p>
<p>Most of these small nations heavily depend on immigrant workers who often do not reside in the country they are working in or are not granted resident status, and are therefore not counted in the GDP per capita calculations.</p>
<p>15 of the 30 richest countries in the world are in Europe, while big some big economies such as the US, Japan, and Canada also made the cut.</p>
<p>The GDP per capita listed represents the amount of wealth produced in 2016 and is expressed in international dollars.</p>
<p><em>Here are the top 30 (and <a href="https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/richest-countries-in-the-world">here's the full study</a>):</em></p><h3>30. Japan — GDP per capita: $38,893 (£31,732)</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/587b31cddd089543158b4b2b-400-300/30-japan--gdp-per-capita-38893-31732.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>29. Finland — GDP per capita: $41,812 (£34,114)</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57c02349dd089504668b4602-400-300/29-finland--gdp-per-capita-41812-34114.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>28. France — GDP per capita: $42,384 (£34,581)</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58bd69b5dd089599488b47e7-400-300/28-france--gdp-per-capita-42384-34581.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-richest-countries-in-the-world-2017-3#/#27-united-kingdom-gdp-per-capita-42513-34686-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-british-pm-may-unveils-steps-to-deepen-defense-cooperation-with-gulf-2016-12Theresa May unveils steps to deepen defense cooperation with Gulfhttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-british-pm-may-unveils-steps-to-deepen-defense-cooperation-with-gulf-2016-12
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:50:00 -0500
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5847ea61e02ba79f028b7cfb-918/2016-12-07t091226z1lynxmpecb60inrtroptp3britain-bahrain.jpg" alt="Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016." data-mce-source="REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth" data-mce-caption="Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016." /></p><p>LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she would deepen defense cooperation with Gulf countries and work with them to push back "against Iran's aggressive regional actions".</p>
<p>Addressing the Gulf Cooperation Council, May said Britain wanted to "make a more permanent and more enduring commitment to the long-term security of the Gulf" and invest more than 3 billion pounds in defense spending in the region over the next decade.</p>
<p>"Gulf security is our security," she told the council, which brings together the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-british-pm-may-unveils-steps-to-deepen-defense-cooperation-with-gulf-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-cheaper-flights-other-airline-secrets-2017-10">6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/irgc-warns-of-an-islamic-revolution-in-bahrain-2016-6Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards just warned of an Islamic revolution in Bahrainhttp://www.businessinsider.com/irgc-warns-of-an-islamic-revolution-in-bahrain-2016-6
Tue, 21 Jun 2016 10:08:42 -0400Bozorgmehr Sharafedin
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5769404c52bcd066018ca8eb-744/bahrain-move-against-shiite-leader-clearly-unjustified-un.jpg" alt="Bahrain's leading Shi'ite cleric Isa Qassim gives a rare speech as a translator is seen behind him at Saar Mosque, west of Manama, Bahrain February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Bahrain's leading Shi'ite cleric Isa Qassim gives a rare speech as a translator is seen behind him at Saar Mosque, west of Manama in this file photo" />DUBAI, June 21 (Reuters) - Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday condemned Bahrain's decision to revoke the citizenship of the spiritual leader of its Shi'ite Muslim majority, saying the move would encourage a rebellion in the country.</span></p>
<p><span>"There is no doubt that the unwise decision of the Al Khalifa (rulers of Bahrain) against the top Shi'ite cleric (Ayatollah Isa Qassim) would add to the flame of an Islamic revolution movement in Bahrain and will form a devastating rebellion against the dependent rulers of this country," the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement published by Fars news agency.</span></p>
<p>Dozens of supporters of Ayatollah Isa Qassim, spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shi'ite Muslim majority, gathered at his home on Tuesday to protest the revocation of his citizenship, with some men wearing white shrouds signaling their readiness to die.</p>
<p>Protesters have been at the house since dawn and more are expected to join after breaking the Ramadan fast at sunset at around 6.30 pm (11:30 EDT). Protests and political gatherings are forbidden in the Western-allied Sunni monarchy.</p>
<p>The move against Qassim strikes at the heart of Bahrain's Shi'ite opposition and is part of an escalating crackdown following a court decision last week to shut down the main Shi'ite political group al Wefaq.&nbsp;<span>A hearing on whether al Wefaq, which won 18 out of 40 parliamentary seats in a 2010 election, should be permanently dissolved was brought up to Thursday from October, a lawyer for the group wrote on Twitter.</span></p>
<p>The United Nations also protested the decision, calling it "clearly unjustified" under international law.</p>
<p>"Given that due process was not followed, it cannot be justified," a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.</p>
<p>Shamdasani said deprivation of nationality was permitted under certain conditions but it had to serve a legitimate purpose, be proportionate to the interests protected and there had to be some recourse to appeal.</p>
<p>"We're talking a minimum of 250 people who have been deprived of their nationality, but there are some estimates that go much higher than that, given that, it is clearly unjustified," she said.</p>
<p>"We are very concerned at this intensified crackdown on the freedoms of expression and association and the right to a nationality."</p>
<p>Top human rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab who has been repeatedly detained since 2011 and was arrested again last week on unspecified charges had his detention renewed on Tuesday for another eight days, his lawyer said on Twitter.</p>
<p>Bahrain's Shi'ites complain of discrimination by the government, which in 2011 put down a pro-reform uprising. Since then protesters have clashed almost daily with security forces, who have been targeted by several bomb attacks.</p>
<p>Bahrain has accused the opposition of undermining security and blamed the bombings on Iran and the armed Shi'ite group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which have strongly condemned the moves against Ayatollah Qassim.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/irgc-warns-of-an-islamic-revolution-in-bahrain-2016-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/money-save-invest-401k-millionaire-2016-12">How much money you need to save each day to become a millionaire by age 65</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/detainees-escape-from-bahraini-prison-2016-617 detainees escaped from a prison in Bahrainhttp://www.businessinsider.com/detainees-escape-from-bahraini-prison-2016-6
Sat, 04 Jun 2016 14:29:31 -0400Sami Aboudi
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/56c1ed4a6e97c623048b7413-2400/rtx26w7b.jpg" alt="bahrain" data-mce-source="Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A protester throws a glass bottle containing paint at a riot police armoured personnel carrier during anti-government clashes in the village of Sitra, south of Manama, February 14, 2016." /></p><p></p>
<p>DUBAI (Reuters) - Seventeen detainees escaped from a prison in<span> Bahrain</span>, police said on Saturday, and the government warned citizens against giving them shelter.</p>
<p>The official<span> Bahrain </span>News Agency said 11 of those who escaped on Friday had since been recaptured, and six remained at large. Five others who aided in the planning and execution of the escape had also been arrested, it quoted police as saying.</p>
<p>The news agency said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa, chairing a security meeting to review the circumstances of the escape from the Dry Dock Detention Center, warned&nbsp;<span>Bahrain</span>is against harboring the fugitives.</p>
<p>The news agency did not say whether the escapees were prisoners jailed for anti-government demonstrations or attacks, or inmates convicted of ordinary crimes.</p>
<p>Thousands of mainly Shi'ite Muslim<span> Bahrain</span>is are in jail on charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces in the Western-allied Gulf kingdom, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based.</p>
<p>Social media users posted at least one photo of a road where traffic was backed up for miles, and said it was caused by police closing roads to search for the prisoners on the run.</p>
<p><span>Bahrain </span>was rocked in 2011 by Arab Spring-style mass protests staged mainly by the Shi'ite community demanding political and economic reforms, including a bigger share in running the country.</p>
<p>The government, with backing from Saudi Arabia, put down the protests by force, but demonstrators continue to erupt from time to time, often drawing swift response from police.</p>
<p><span>Bahrain </span>accuses Iran of fomenting unrest and backing militants who have been increasingly attacking security forces using improvised bombs. Iran denies supporting militants.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Sami Aboudi, William Maclean, Editing by Mark Trevelyan)</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-california-primary-2016-6" >BILL CLINTON: Republicans 'slobbered all over' Hillary until she left the State Department</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/detainees-escape-from-bahraini-prison-2016-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-explains-tips-attacked-by-dog-2017-6">A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you're attacked by a dog</a></p>